Patton (1970)

The World War II phase of the career of the controversial American general, George S. Patton.

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Francis Ford Coppola (screen story and screenplay), Edmund H. North (screen story and screenplay)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young

Won 7 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	General George S. Patton Jr.
Karl Malden	...	General Omar N. Bradley
Stephen Young	...	Captain Chester B. Hansen
Michael Strong	...	Brigadier General Hobart Carver
Carey Loftin	...	General Bradley's Driver (as Cary Loftin)
Albert Dumortier	...	Moroccan Minister
Frank Latimore	...	Lieutenant Colonel Henry Davenport
Morgan Paull	...	Captain Richard N. Jenson
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Bill Hickman	...	General Patton's Driver
Pat Zurica	...	First Lieutenant Alexander Stiller (as Patrick J. Zurica)
James Edwards	...	Sergeant William George Meeks
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Colonel Gaston Bell
David Bauer	...	Lieutenant Gen. Harry Buford
John Barrie	...	Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham

Storyline

"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Europe and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and tendency toward insubordination, faults that would prevent him from becoming the lead American general in the Normandy Invasion as well as to his being relieved as Occupation Commander of Germany.

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Plot Keywords:

general | allies | destiny | tank | tough guy | 

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Taglines:

Direct from its sensational reserved seat engagement.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French Russian Arabic Italian

Release Date:

2 April 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Salute to a Rebel

Filming Locations:

Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$61,700,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) Mono (35 mm prints) DTS 70 mm (70 mm re-release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In November 1942, Camp Laguna in Yuma, Arizona started as a major training site for George S. Patton's armored units. It was one of fourteen such camps built in the southwestern deserts to train United States troops during World War II. It was a major training facility for units engaged in combat during the 1942-1943 North African campaign. The desert was extremely suitable for the large-scale maneuvers necessary to prepare inexperienced American soldiers for combat against the highly trained and much feared German Afrika Korps in the North African desert.

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Goofs

When Patton arrives at his HQ in North Africa, right before he puts on his three stars, he removes his helmet, coat, and goggles. When he removes his goggles from around his neck, he simply tugs on them and the strap comes undone, revealing they were just a prop.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Patton: Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: KASSERINE PASS TUNISIA, 1943

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Bart the General (1990)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King!
(uncredited)
Traditional
In the background for a London scene

User Reviews

A fine tribute to a great patriot and fearless warrior

I am a fan of both General Patton and the movie that captured a portion of his duty in WWII. It exposes Patton's incredible strengths and vulnerabilities. George C. Scott gives one of his best performances. It leaves the viewer with the impression that Patton unnecessarily risked GI lives to "make a bigger splash" with his peers and the media. Statistics show that his aggressive "hold 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass" strategy actually resulted in lower casualties. Watched in conjunction with "The Big Red One" and "Saving Private Ryan" gives one an initial sense of the horror and sacrifice in the European Theatre. As a mini-biography, as an introduction to WWII, as a lesson in leadership under tremendous adversity or just for pure inspiration, Patton is one of the great films of my lifetime.